“It’s Carter. I’d better take this.” He stepped outside.
Jenna nodded. She’d heard the story about Cutter. “Ever had any problems with outsiders?”
“Nah, I rarely leave the ranch.” Greenwood shook his head slowly. “Me and my boy work sunup to sundown and then some. There’s no need to go to town. Chris set it up so we have everything we need. We can order our boots, shirts, gloves, whatever we need, and they’re supplied. He was like that. He cared for his hands. The ranch made good money and everyone benefited.”
Moments later Kane returned, his expression granite. Something had happened. Jenna nodded to him and turned back to Greenwood. “I’ll give you my card. Call my office if you think of anything else we might need to know.”
“Jenna, I hear the chopper. I figure we should go out and meet them.” Kane moved his attention to Greenwood. “Thanks for the chat.”
“Anytime.” Greenwood pushed the card into his top pocket, turned away, picked up a pitchfork, and started to muck out one of the stables.
“That guy couldn’t lie straight in bed.” Kane led Jenna away from the door and then leaned toward her. “The call was from Carter. They found a body. Wolfe is on his way.”
What Jenna had dreaded slammed into her and she gaped at him aghast. “A fresh body?”
“I’m afraid so.” Kane nodded.
Horrified, Jenna hurried alongside him. “How bad?”
“It’s buried in a cattle grave. One arm is sticking out.” Kane grimaced. “Now we’re all in danger. This is a warning to stay away.”
Nine
Medical Examiner Shane Wolfe glanced at his daughter Emily as he circled the coordinates given to him by Carter. “It looks like we’re gonna need boots and coveralls for this one. If someone’s been using the cattle burial plots for hiding bodies, we’re gonna be wallowing in mud for the next three months, maybe even a year.”
Emily had settled in well and took her job as medical examiner very seriously. In the last few months, she had been called into service by the Helena office and conducted her own forensic investigation into a suspicious death. Wolfe figured her experience in Black Rock Falls during her training had been beneficial, as she’d come up close and personal not only with the victims but also some of the serial killers as well. She was tough and had found herself a very strong man in Johnny Raven. He hated to admit it to himself but he really believed they’d make a good match—as long as they didn’t rush into anything.
“I’m guessing Norrell should’ve been here rather than me.” Emily held on to her seat as they dropped to the ground. She wasn’t good with heights. “It makes me wonder if this case overlaps with the cold case Jenna is working on at the moment.”
“That would be very coincidental, wouldn’t it?” Badge-holding Deputy Colt Webber removed his headset as the chopper’s rotors slowed down. “Even if the cold case killer was in their early twenties, we’d be looking at someone in their mid-forties to fifties. Rhett’s parents were burned to death in a cabin, and this looks more like someone tried to hide a crime. I figure we’re looking at something completely new here.”
Wolfe scanned the area before unstrapping his belt and turning to look at the others. “I’m glad y’all have an opinion but don’t go rushing into any conclusions until we’ve examined the body.” He indicated with his chin to the pile of dirt. “I don’t want anyone taking one step toward that mound of earth until it’s been completely processed. Carter dropped his chopper down over there by the looks of things. They did climb out of the chopper but didn’t go more than ten feet. Get suited up.” He climbed from his seat and made his way to the back of the chopper to collect his things.
He led the way toward the mound of dirt, carefully checking for footprints. He turned to the others. “Whoever did this drove the vehicle to the gravesite and then dumped the body.”
“So they dug the grave before they murdered the victim?” Emily moved beside him and stared at the arm sticking out of the soil. “Look at the position of the arm. It’s as if the victim tried to dig themselves out.”
Wolfe looked at her concerned expression. “Maybe not. We’ll check the lungs for any soil residue. We’ll need to go real slow exhuming the body.” He turned to Webber. “Get some footage of the complete site, then photographs. We’ll gather everything we need from the chopper.” Above, the sound of a chopper approaching thrummed in the silence. “That must be Jenna and Dave.”
They all turned as Carter dropped his chopper into the field close by. After a few moments, Jenna jumped down and he walked away from the gravesite to meet her. “I’m not sure what we’ve got yet. We just arrived. If y’all give us a few minutes to record the scene, we’ll move in to exhume the corpse. At this point I don’t even know if it’s just the arm.”
“By the smell, it’s been here a couple of days.” Jenna pulled a face mask from her pocket and pressed it over her nose. “Male or female?”
Wolfe shrugged. “Unknown at this time.” He turned as Webber called his name. “There are spare boots and coveralls in my chopper. I suggest you suit up, unless you want to stand back here and watch from a distance?”
“No way.” Jenna followed him back to the chopper with Carter and Kane close behind. “I hope it’s coincidental this happened when we’re investigating a twenty-two-year-old cold case.” She shook her head slowly. “It sends shivers down my spine to even imagine that there’s a killer close by. There are so many people working on this ranch it could be anyone or none of them.”
“Don’t worry about the kids.” Carter walked to her side. “I told Rhett to stay inside the house and keep the doors locked. He was happy to do that and he carries a sidearm now. He has an excellent alarm system. I don’t figure anyone is getting into that house.”
“That’s good to know.” Kane ambled up beside them, constantly scanning the area. “We had someone watching when we were out earlier today. We figure they work here. They were driving one of the ranch trucks. It seems to me they were interested in what we were doing out here. It could just be one of the ranch hands checking out strangers on the property. Maybe when they saw Rhett they decided to go back to headquarters.”
Back at his chopper, Wolfe indicated to the pile of coveralls and rubber boots he carried. “Suit up. The soil looks damp. We’ll use the small spades to remove some of the soil around the body.” He glanced at Kane and Carter. “If you’re planning to help, I’ll show you the technique. It’s frustratingly slow, but we don’t want to damage the body.”
“Did you find any evidence apart from the tire tracks?” Jenna pulled on coveralls. “Any footprints?”
“No.” Emily pulled on a face mask. “Whoever did this covered the body and cleaned up all around. Likely using machinery. The tire tracks are all we could find.”
An hour or so later, they had uncovered the head and torso of a badly beaten woman. With help from Kane, they managed to pull the body free of the mud. In an attempt to preserve evidence, they eased the victim into a body bag. Straightening, Wolfe sighed as Webber stepped in to zip it up. “There’s not a chance of using an image of the victim to identify her. Even her own mother wouldn’t recognize her.” He turned to Jenna. “It’s clear she has olive skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Taking into account the bloating, I would say she is young. Maybe between eighteen and twenty-two, small build, approximately five-feet-five, at a guess, from Latino descent.”
